I grew up singing Mexican music, and that’s based on indigenous Mexican rhythms. Mexican music also has an overlay of West African music, based on huapango drums, and it’s kind of like a 6/8Ā time signature, but it really is a very syncopated 6/8. And that’s … Continue reading Linda Ronstadt (final of 2 posts)
Linda Ronstadt has said that “all girl singers” eventually “have to curtsy toĀ Ella FitzgeraldĀ andĀ Billie Holiday.”Ā OfĀ Maria Callas, Ronstadt says, “There’s no one in her league. That’s it. Period. I learn more … about singing rock n roll from listening to Maria Callas records than I ever … Continue reading Linda Ronstadt (1st of 2 posts)
Pictured: Aretha singing at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. Her hat got about as much press as her performance. Aretha, like her father, was a die-hard Democrat and like a lot of us who were hopelessly naive, saw Obama’s inauguration as the possible beginning of a … Continue reading Aretha Franklin (final of 4) – Amazing Grace
We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right.” – Aretha Franklin. Otis Redding wrote and released “Respect” in the summer of 1965. It had some level of success (Top Five onĀ Billboard’sĀ Black Singles Chart, and crossed over … Continue reading Aretha Franklin (Part 3) – Respect
Wikipedia: The now-defunct Regal Theater in Chicago was part of the so-called “chitlin circuit,” that “provided commercial and cultural acceptance forĀ African-AmericanĀ musicians, comedians, and other entertainers during the era ofĀ racial segregation in the United StatesĀ (from at least the early 19th century through the 1960s.) Sometime in … Continue reading Aretha Franklin (Part 2) – The Queen of Soul
So a while back I started reading that the Cabot Theater in Beverly MA – a somewhat artsy town north of Boston – was going to have a night of tribute to Bessie Smith. (We saw Los Lobos here not too long ago.) I looked … Continue reading Bessie Smith – (Part 2) – The Greatest Blues Singer in the World Will Never Stop Singing
I rarely, if ever, do two posts of the same type in a row. I like to mix it up. But I felt lately like I was neglecting the ladies. And as every guy knows, you do so at your own peril.Ā šĀ So here are three … Continue reading Tres Songs
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. It may well be that someone has written a blog post about her but if so I missed it. So as best I can, here’s her story. Bob Dylan: “Sister … Continue reading Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Music Enthusiast - At the junction of rock, blues, R&B, jazz, pop,and soul 